I am not a metal head when it comes to music. I mean I went through a bit of a symphonic metal phase when I was 16, but that was mainly Within Temptation and a bit of Nightwish and Epica. This phase only lasted a few months and was more down to the influence of some online friends than an actual interest.

Guess what I’m trying to say is that it wasn’t until I listened to ‘War Pigs’ back in February that I had first heard a song by Black Sabbath. I guess this is a generational thing, but for me Ozzy Osbourne has always been more of a name associated with music rather than a musician (if that makes any sense) because of his appearance in The Osbournes. Not that I’ve actually seen that show, but I’ve seen enough clips.

Having properly listened to Paranoid, the second album by Black Sabbath, I think I might need to take Osbourne a bit more seriously. Yes, this is a metal album, but not a metal album as I have come to think of them (aka the huge guitars and the screams). I guess this is one of the stereotypes that I am starting to tear down thanks to this list.

Metal will never be a genre that I reach for as a general listen over the likes of pop, folk or electronic. However, an album like Paranoid works remarkably well when I playing video games (especially ones like Mass Effect 3 or Overwatch with a lot of shooting.

In terms of stand-out songs, I’m going to be very boring and say that it’s the single ‘Iron Man’ that made the biggest immediate impact on me. ‘War Pigs’ stands-out as well because of the devilish imagery and then there is ‘Electric Caravan’, which stands out as it’s oddly quiet.

So yes, I liked this album but metal just isn’t the genre for me as a focused listen.